


In Plane Sight

by tobeconspicuous



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Fluff, Love Confessions, Love Letters, M/M, Pining, Rita does not appear, Teensy Bit of Angst, but is mentioned by name, made better by fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 11:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13523526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobeconspicuous/pseuds/tobeconspicuous
Summary: Rafael Barba finds a love letter.





	In Plane Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely inspired by [this music video](https://youtu.be/S5XRAKLxztE).
> 
> Mostly I just wanted there to be some fluff in this pool of angst.
> 
> Many thanks to ChameleonCircuit for the beta, neither of us are American so any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
> 
> I do not own, only enjoy, and I hope you do to. Feedback is very much appreciated.

It was only by a pure stroke of luck that he found the letter. It had been folded in the shape of an airplane and had hit him in the arm as he was stepping out of his local cafe, steaming coffee in hand. At first he dismissed the plane, he went to throw it in the bin, but familiar scribblings made him pause. He walked to his office, put his briefcase down and opened the hand folded paper plane.

Rafael clutched the letter in hand. He tried to still the tremble that radiated throughout him as he poured over the words contained within. Words so beautiful, in a hand so familiar it caused Rafael’s breath to catch in his throat. He read the letter again and again, committing each line to memory. He needed each word to be etched into his heart.

He folded the letter up and tucked it into the second drawer of his desk, all the while sending a silent prayer thanking God that it had made its way into his hands. At least now Rafael held a sliver of a heart that he never expected to own a fraction of. He hoped the intended recipient knew how lucky they were.

He didn’t think about the love letters or their senders until several days later when he found a dirty scrunched up piece of paper balled up on the ground next to a bin. Rafael would have dismissed the letter as trash if he hadn't noticed a familiar, slanted scrawled declaration of love. He slowly bent over and picked up the ball, he slowly teased the creases apart and slowly flattened it out against the wall.

Every word penned on the page caused Rafael’s heart to jump, to leap, to stutter. The words felt so natural to Rafael, so real, that his heart ached to read the man’s pain. How desperate he was for the object of his affection to love him. Oh how bitter Rafael felt that the letter wasn’t meant for him.

He wanted to rip it, to tear it into hundreds of pieces and let them scatter to the wind. Instead he folded it up neatly and pocketed it. Later he would place it on top of the other letter he had found, to be read when Rafael was desperate to attain a piece of someone he would never have.

He then found a letter hiding in an alcove at the courthouse. A letter that spoke of the career the man desired, how they felt torn between two worlds, and how they relished it. A love for the law, and someone who seemed to transcend it filled every line, every word read as a declaration. Rafael related to the letter all too well, he felt the same passion and drive the author felt. He folded it up and slipped it beneath his pocket square, the weight reassured him throughout the day that he was not alone.

Week after week, more letters found their way into Rafael’s possession, each one tore at him in a way that was unexpected. There were happy letters of imagined futures, of weddings, of potential children, or of a life spent travelling the globe instead.

There were sad letters that mourned the time they were not spending together, that spoke of hard cases, of family woes, and of missed opportunities. There were humorous letters, of jokes surprisingly dry, between friends, loved ones and even colleagues.

There were letters of pure lust, of wanton, of the body they wished to worship, and they hours they would spend devouring one another. There were letters that professed feelings so deep, so profound, and so truthful that Rafael couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

And finally there were wistful letters which described long elegant fingers, a wicked smile and beautiful features. It was one of these letters that made Rafael drop his favorite mug, causing it to shatter over the floor. The letter described eyes of green. Emerald, or viridian, with flecks of gold that caught the light. Rafael looked in the mirror and saw the same green eyes which had been described staring back at him.

He scrambled over to his desk drawer, thankful that his office blinds were closed, and pulled out all the letters one by one. He carefully scanned them, picking out every physical feature that had ever been described.

Beautiful features.

Flawless tanned skin that disappears under fashionably tailored clothing.

Long slender fingers which liked to teased the rim of a scotch glass.

And green eyes with flecks of gold.

Rafael sat down in his chair taking in the view of all the letters he had scattered across his desk. The object of his desires had been writing him love letters and somehow he had miraculously found them. Rafael was ecstatic, he was hopeful, he was relieved, and he knew it was time to confront them.

 

\--

 

It had been a successful day, Rafael had managed to scare several defense attorney’s enough to garner advantageous plea deals. Those deals made all the sweeter by the fact he was able to pull one over Rita Calhoun.

He sent Carmen home early, and wished her a good weekend with her family. Though he regretted that choice the moment that there was a knock on his door. The voice that followed the knock though, that caused a slight groan of exasperation escaped Rafael’s mouth.

“Sorry to interrupt counselor,” Detective Carisi said politely after he poked his head through the door.

“It’s fine detective,” Rafael’s tone was dismissive, his heart though, it was hammering against his rib cage. “How can I help you?”

“I just wanted to drop off some files,” The detective answered as he walked over to the desk.

As the files were placed neatly in front of him Rafael couldn’t help but stare at the familiar scrawl which seemed to leap off the page. That scrawl that had penned the words which flooded his dreams every evening. Rafael opened his mouth to say something, anything - nothing escaped. For the first time in an age he had been rendered speechless.

“Thanks Barba,” the detective smiled at him before turning to take his leave. “Have a good weekend.”

This was Rafael’s chance, to finally confront the man who had been writing such poetic imagery. The prosecutor mentally debated the merit of calling the detective back until he was almost out the door. He took a deep breath and summoned every ounce of courage before finally calling out. “Wait.”

“Yes Counselor?” The detective stopped and turned to face the prosecutor, a playful smirk on his face.

“I found your letters,” Rafael began smoothly, all the years spent parading around the courtroom made him look far more confident than he actually felt. “And detective, I do have to say that I was extremely flattered when I realized that you had been writing to me all along.”

“Uh Counselor-”

Rafael ignored the interruption. “I just wanted to let you know I-” he took a deep breath before he finished his statement. “I return your affections. I, also, love you.”

“They weren’t meant for you,” Carisi blurted out, a horrified look on his face.

“I see,” Rafael felt his breathing quicken as his vision blurred. He had no idea how he managed it, but he pulled himself together to dismiss Carisi. He turned away from the detective. “Well Carisi, if you’ll excuse me-”

“Wait, Barba- Rafael please let me explain,” Carisi begged as he took a step towards the prosecutor.

Rafael failed to hide the tremble in his voice. “You already made yourself clear, Carisi.”

“They weren’t meant for you,” the detective's tone was desperate enough to make Rafael pause. “That doesn’t mean they weren’t about you. After Rollins and I went to West Virginia to pick-”

“Oh we all know what happened in West Virginia,” Rafael scowled as he turned around to face the taller man.

“Right,” Carisi nodded, a faint blush had turned his neck pink. “So after West Virginia I did some thinking and decided that I needed to get myself together and to stop hiding from my feelings. So I started to write love letters. I folded them into paper planes and released them into the world hoping that someone would read them and feel loved.”

“Go on,” Rafael encouraged the man to continue his explanation.

“It took a while, but one day I looked up and saw you and everything just seemed to fall into place,” There was no mistaking the soft smile that had bloomed on the detectives face and the warm look that Rafael could see in his eyes. “I knew, with every bone in my body, that I was in love with you. So I kept writing the letters, kept sending them out in the hope that you would find them.”

“And I did,” Rafael breathed his answer.

“ _Only in my wildest dreams did I imagine I had a chance with you_ ,” Sonny’s tone was cautious as he quoted himself perfectly.

Rafael took a step towards the detective. “Carisi-”

“Sonny,” he corrected, his tone as soft and welcoming as his smile.

“Sonny,” A soft smile played on Rafael’s lips as he continued to close the distance between them. When he finally reached the blond detective he drew the man towards him and whispered in his ear, “ _I never planned on falling for you, but loving you is as natural as breathing, so how could I not?_ ”

Then Rafael pressed a kiss to the bottom of Sonny’s jaw, then another to his cheek, and another to the corner of his mouth. He pulled away and flashed the detective a teasing smile. Sonny was having none of it. He grabbed Rafael’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and captured the shorter man’s mouth with his own in a searing perfect kiss. Only one thought crossed Rafael’s mind as Sonny wound strong arms around him.

_Finally._


End file.
